1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of moving a bowling-lane maintenance machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to play a bowling game comfortably, the bowling lanes must be always conditioned by cleaning and oiling them. The conditioning oil should not be applied to the approach. There is known a maintenance machine for performing such a cleaning and oiling operation. The maintenance machine requires a specifically designed mechanism for moving it along both the lanes and the approach extending perpendicular to the lanes.
Such a moving mechanism is exemplified in FIG. 9. The moving mechanism comprises four lane running wheels 26 at the bottom of a bowling-lane maintenance machine, which permit the machine to run along a lane for maintenance. The moving mechanism also comprises four ride-on-approach wheels 25 and four approach running wheels 28. Each of the approach running wheels 28 is operatively connected with a lift cylinder 27 which serves to lift the body of the bowling-lane maintenance machine. Thus, the machine can be moved to the next lane on the approach when it is lifted by the lift cylinders 27. Since the ride-on-approach wheels 25 are of a diameter larger than that of the lane running wheels 26, the latter will not be brought into contact with the approach when the machine is moved transversely on the approach. Once the lift cylinders 27 are contracted to ride the maintenance machine on the approach, however, it becomes difficult to control the machine with respect to its direction of movement.
Since all the wheels are driven only by a single motor 29 in addition to rotation of buffing roller means, the bowling-lane maintenance machine is complicated in its entire structure and particularly in transmission of power. This is disadvantageous in assembly, maintenance, space utilization and manufacturing cost.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of the bowling-lane maintenance machine, which can facilitate to shift the bowling-lane maintenance machine from the longitudinal running mode to the transverse running mode and also to control the bowling-lane maintenance machine in its direction of movement on the approach without application of the conditioning oil onto the approach.
another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for performing the above-mentioned method with a simplified driving mechanism.